The UN Security Council on Monday adopted resolution 2699 (2023), authorizing a multinational security mission to Haiti to help the Caribbean nation combat criminal gangs.
Some 13 members voted in favour, while Russia and China were the two abstentions.
In what is being hailed as an historic first, the deployment of an international security force led by Kenya seeks to help Haiti’s national police quell surging gang violence and restore security.
“The mission was requested by the Haitian Government and civil society representatives, following months of chaos and steadily worsening conditions affecting civilians. There have been more than 3,000 homicides reported this year, and over 1,500 instances of kidnapping for ransom,” UN said in a statement.
Around 200,000 have been forced to flee their homes while sexual violence and abuse against women and girls at the hands of armed gangs ticks up. Tens of thousands of children are unable to go to school.
“Adopting the resolution with a recorded vote of 13 in favour and 2 abstentions (Russia and China), ambassadors in New York also authorized the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to help secure critical infrastructure and transit hubs such as the airport, ports, schools, hospitals and key intersections,” it added.
They also called on countries participating in the mission to ensure the highest standards of transparency, conduct and discipline for their personnel, and called for an oversight mechanism to prevent human rights violations or abuses, including sexual exploitation.
Other than Kenya, other countries involved in the mission include Italy, Spain, Mongolia, Senegal, Belize, Suriname, Guatemala and Peru. The Caribbean nations of Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Antigua and Barbuda have also announced their intent to take part in the mission.
Though no particular countries came forward with specific pledges during Monday’s discussions, both Japan and Brazil expressed support for the mission. The non-UN mission is also slated to help ensure unhindered and safe access to humanitarian aid for millions of Haitians in need.
The resolution, adopted under UN Charter’s Chapter VII, which sets out the Security Council’s responsibilities to maintain international peace and security, was penned by the United States and Ecuador.
On Tuesday, Kenya’s President William Ruto welcomed the resolution, saying it was overdue and critical instrument to define the multinational mission.
“The mission is a foundational intervention, to provide the necessary conditions for Haiti to consolidate its development and governance. It is therefore absolutely essential that resources as well as operational scope available to the UN team, as well as other humanitarian and development actors on the ground in Haiti, be appropriately reinforced,” President Ruto said.
More than 1,000 officers will be picked from the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU), Anti Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), General Service Unit (GSU), and Border Patrol Unit (BPU) to form a larger team for deployment with the exercise expected to happen in two month’s time probably by January 2024.
He further noted that the situation in Haiti demands, as a matter of humanitarian consideration, moral responsibility and fundamental justice, that actions be scaled up significantly to meet the demands of emergency relief, humanitarian aid, support for livelihoods and major interventions in public health and environmental protection.
Ruto termed the resolution as one that marks an important moment in the history of global multilateralism.
“This is a mission for humanity, which connects boldly and directly with the founding principles of the United Nations, and affirms our shared hope that justice is finally coming to the people of Haiti, who have borne the brunt of colonial plunder and repression, as well as post-colonial retaliation and exploitation, leaving them vulnerable to geological, climatic and epidemic calamities,” he said.
The mission has, however, faced criticism, especially from observers in Kenya citing un preparedness.
China and Russia said thet believe the resolution falls short of a comprehensive approach to dealing with the multiple crises in Haiti.
“It must be understood that sending the armed forces in another state to any country, even upon its request, is an extreme measure that must be thoroughly thought through,” Russia’s UN representative, Vassily Nebenzia, said.
China’s representative, Zhang Jun, said, “Without a legitimate, effective and accountable government in place, any external support can hardly have any lasting effects.”
The gangs in Haiti have threatened violent response to any foreign intervention.
